Electrical connection



Feb. 7, 1961 w. L. COLWELL ELECTRICAL CONNECTION Filed June 15, 1958 5 mm F INVENTOR. Mum/w Z. (ban 5a BY f United States Patent ELECTRICAL CONNECTION William L. Colwell, Norwalk, Conn., assignor to Burndy Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed June 13, 1958, Ser. No. 741,808

3 Claims. (Cl. 339-207) This invention relates to insulated electrical connections and, more particularly, to means for insulating a separable electrical connection of the spade and socket type.

It has heretofore been known to provide insulating means for separable electrical connections; however, such means have usually required that the separable electrical connection be broken before the insulating means could be removed for inspection of the connection. Since the connection was broken prior to the removal of the insulating means inspection of the operable connection was impossible. It has also been found desirable to provide insulating means which lock the separable electrical connection in its operative position preventing the unintentional disengagement of the connection.

One of the objects of this invention therefore is to provide insulating means for a separable electrical connection of the spade and socket type permitting visual inspection of the operable connection.

Another object of this invention is to provide means for insulating and locking together a separable electrical connection.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electrical connector for coupling together pairs of wire and provide an interlocking base and sleeve to insulate the resulting connection.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide an insulating base on which at least one electrical connection may be mounted and an insulating cover which may be locked on to said base.

One of the features of my invention is the use of an insulating base onto which separable electrical connectors of the spade and socket type are mounted. The base is provided with a longitudinal slot in which the electrical connection is fitted and a transverse slot which looks the electrical connection against longitudinal movement. The assembly of the connection and base is provided by an insulating sleeve which is disposed about the base and connection and locked onto the base.

These and other features and objects of my invention will become more apparent by reading the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is an isometric view of the insulated electrical connection of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of the assembled insulated connection of my invention; and

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, the insulated electrical connection in accordance with the principles of my invention is therein seen to comprise an electrical connection of the spade and socket type mounted on an insulating base 12, over which a hollow insulating sleeve 14 may be disposed.

More specifically, the electrical connection 10 comprises the spade connector element 16 which includes a 2,971,180 Patented Feb. 7, 1961 ice flat connecting tongue terminated in a pair of shoulders or abutments 1'8 and 20. The shoulders 18 and 20 extend from the side edges of the flat blade portion of the spade element 16. The rear end of the spade element 16 is deformed to provide a wire grip 22, which is crimped or indented onto the bared end of the conductor 21. The insulation grip 24 is deformed and pressed against the insulation 23 of the conductor. Together wire grip 22 and insulation grip 24 anchor the spade element connector 16 to the conductor to hold the wire in assembled relation with the terminal.

To make an electrical connection with the spade connector element 16, a socket connector element 26 is provided. 'I he socket connector element 26 comprises a member which includes a base or floor portion 28. The sides 30 and 32 of the socket connector element 26 are bent at right angles from the plane of the base 28 and then bent inwardly back toward the base to provide terminal edges parallel with the base 28 for engaging the spade connector element 16. The rear end of element 26 is provided with a wire grip 38 and an insulation grip 40 to receive, respectively, the bared end 37 and the insulation 39 of the conductor 41. The socket connector element 26 is provided with a tapered neck portion 34 and 35 which forms the transition between the socket portion of the connector base 28 and sides 30 and 32 and the wire grip 38. Both the spade and socket elements are upset as at 36 to provide cooperating locking detents to assist in maintaining the connection in its coupled position.

The insulating base member 12 is provided with a longitudinal slot 42 and a transverse slot 44. The intersection of the slots 42 and 44 provide the base shoulders 45, 46, 47 and 48. The longitudinal slot 42 is provided with a floor or Wall 50 separating one half of the insulating base from an identical transverse and longitudinal slot which are formed on the other side of the wall 50. At the central portion of the insulating base 12 there is provided locking notches 52 and 54. The locking notches have camming shoulders 56 and 58 provided on either side of each notch 52 and 54.

A hollow sleeve 14 of insulating material, such as plastic, is provided for the housing. This sleeve 14 has an internal bead 60 molded therein. This circumferential internal bead 60 cooperates with the notches 52. and 54 to lock the hollow sleeve 14 onto base member 12 when the insulated connection is in its assembled position. A connection may be disposed on the other side of wall 50 in a manner similar to the connection 10 heretofore described.

To assemble the insulated connection of my invention the hollow insulating sleeve 14 is first slid along one of the conductors 41. The spade element 16 is connected to the socket connector element 26 in the usual manner as is well known to those skilled in the art. The connected spade and socket connection is then disposed within the transverse slot 44 and along the longitudinal slot 42 in the insulating base 12. The shoulders 18 and 20 of the spade connector element 16 abut the shoulders 45 and 46 of the insulating base 12 while the tapered neck portion 34 and 35 of the socket connector element 26 abut the remaining shoulders 47 and 48 of the insulating base. Due to the cooperating shoulders on the connector elements and the insulating base the connection is locked against longitudinal movement. The insulating sleeve is then slid along the wire in the direction of the arrow. As the bead 60 is cammed along the surfaces 56 and 58 adjacent the notches 52 and 54, the insulating sleeve 14 may assume a slightly ovate shape. After the internal bead 60 is disposed within the notches 52 and 54, the hollow sleeve 14 will resume its circular configuration.

Since there is an additional transverse slot 62 on the other side of the wall 50, the insulated connection of my invention will accept either one or two splices consisting of a spade and socket connection. The splices or connections are completely insulated from each other and from any adjacent conductors. Of course, if it is desired, the insulating base may be composed of a conductive substance such as copper and the connections may then be commoned or connected together through the insulating base with the hollow plastic sleeve still providing an external insulation for the assembly.

The insulated electrical connection of my invention thus provides a connection which is locked in place but from which the sleeve 14 may be'moved for purposes of visual inspection of the operative connection. Moreover, a force applied to the conductors will not disengage the connection, since the insulating sleeve and base lock the assembled connection together.

I [have thus described my invention, but I desire it understood that it is not confined to the particular forms or uses shown and described, the same being merely illus tnative and that the invention may be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention, and, therefore, I claim broadly the night to employ all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appended claims, and by means of which, objects of my invention are attained and new results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particular embodi- 'ments herein shown and described are only some of the many that can be employed to attain these objects and accomplish these results.

1 claim:

1. An electrical connection comprising a pair of coupled terminals each including a narrow portion for joining said terminal to a conductor and a Wider contact portion having shoulders at the transition from said narrow to said wider portions, a base member composed of an insulating material having a floor, integral flanges extending above and below said floor and joined to the longitudinal edges of said floor, said flanges having opposed slots midway their length on both sides of said floor and the outer surface of said flanges being of generally 'arcuatte configuration, said floor having a portion extending in width beyond said flanges in the area of 4 W said slots, said extended floor portion including a groove therein, each of said pair of coupled terminals disposed in contact with on opposite sides of said floor and having their wider contact portion extending at least part way into the slots of said flanges and the narrow portions extending between said flanges and a tubular insulating sleeve disposed about said base and coupled terminals, said sleeve including a bead on its inner surface disposed to engage said groove on the portion of said floor extending between said flanges.

2. An electrical connection comprising: a socket type terminal; a spade type terminal coupled to said socket terminal; each of said terminals having a body portion and acontact portion wider than said body portion; a unitary base member composed of an insulating material having a longitudinal recess to receive said body portions and a transverse recess to receive said contact portions and lock said coupled terminals against longitudinal decoupling; a unitary tubular insulating sleeve circumferentially disposed about said base and coupled terminals; said base and sleeve having cooperating means to lock said sleeve to said base.

3. A device for insulating a plurality of paired, coupled terminals comprising: a unitary base member composed of insulating material having a septum and means on either side of said septum adapted to receive a pair of coupled terminals, means on said base for locking said received coupled terminals against decoupling; and a unitary, tubular insulating sleeve circumferentially disposed about said base; said sleeve and base having cooperating means to lock said sleeve to said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,620,693 Royal Mar. 15, 1927 2,441,393 Buchanan et al May 11, 1948 2,457,703 Merkel Dec. 28, 1948 2,499,297 Buchanan Feb. 28, 1950 2,760,173 Cunningham Aug. 21, 1956 2,768,361 Aquillon et al. Oct. 23, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 624,157 Great Britain May 27, 1949 

